Breakfast is served upstairs at 8:30am. Plenty of time because Ahmed and Abdul are picking us up at 9:30am. Wonderful , fresh squeezed Orange Juice, fresh pastries and fruit cocktail await us. Out the door and through the alleyway to the street and we meet up with Ahmed and Abdul. First stop is Menara Gardens. Then we head over to the Majorelle Jardins. It would be more impressive if we knew who Marjorelle was but after a little prodding my memory seems to have a vague recollection of him being a painter. The house and gardens were later bought by Yves Saint-Laurent. Him I recognized. . Beside viewing a beautiful garden, we find out that Chris has an allergy to cedar. in the garden There is a small museum on the different Berber tribe from around the area and one room is lined with cedar. Cue the sneezing. Fortunately, I travel with a small pharmacy and a couple Benadryl later, all better. Next up is a walking tour of the Medina or old city. The bright colors and rich fragrances are incredible. The spices give the area a very unique, exotic feel. We go through Medersa and Mosquee Ben Youssef, a school which had been rebuilt back in 1594. Rebuilt! I never did catch when it started. The carved wood and plaster are spectacular. Ahmed explains that every ceiling is different so always look up when entering. The student housing area up stairs makes Ryan feel real good about his school. At its peak it housed 900 students. More walking leads us to Palais El Badi. If you watch a movie that is trying for that old world feel, it was filmed here. Then we head to Tombeaux Saadiens, burial area. Originally, built in 1603, it was walled off and hidden from view until 1917 when an arial photo revealed its presence. Lunch is in the labyrinth of tiny streets that house the souks or markets. Just a tiny ‘roadside’ place serving Moroccan salads and Chicken tagines. Mickey D’s ain’t got nothing on these places. All you need is a willingness to try and oh the flavors that await you. The Moroccans do love their spices. Lots of Cumin, saffron and curry. But, not the strong curry you find in Indian food. This one is much milder and flavorful. One thing that I notice is there aren’t any street dogs wandering around, only cats. Lots of cats. Ahmed says dogs are unclean. Only ranchers/farmers use them. If he touched a dog he would have to wash but cats are fine. Yeah, unless you’re really allergic like me. (I guess I shouldn't mention our three at home...that sleep with us.) We continue our walking tour through the souks and the big area, Jemaa el Fna. Figs, dates, prunes, nuts and olives abound. Many vendors have a snack tray out front of the booth for you to taste their wares. Once you get beyond the flies and bees flying and landing, on the food, it’s a taste testers heaven. Far better than walking through Costco on the weekend! The square is filled with food, spices and snake charmers. Nothing says fun like cobras. And dentists. Abdul takes us back to our riad for a well deserved nap while Ahmed makes us dinner reservations at Dar Fez.  A wonderful Lamb tagine for us and Chicken Pastisch for Ryan. Wonderful! And kinda cool, an all women wait staff. Abdul skillfully maneuvers us through the busy night streets. More on the Moroccan driving in the next installment.